A Lost Childhood
by PetiteEnigma
Summary: Elphaba, Nessarose, Galinda, Fiyero, Sarima&Sisters childhood. Bookverse. Rating may change at some point. Please R&R!
1. The Day Care at Gawnette's

_**Disclaimer**-I do not own Wicked, these characters, or the setting. Just the plot. Please R&R._

**The Day-Care at Gawnette's**

Elphaba trudged along the path, her small hands clenched into fists. Behind her, Nanny walked briskly to keep up with the green child. Once a routine is established it can be like clockwork to follow it. A week ago, Nanny had convinced Gawnette to let Elphaba play with the other children. Now they marched along the small dirt road every few days.

A clump of children ran about and played at some unseen game. The green girl did not quicken her pace at the sight of the other children, nor did she slow down. Once at the gate, Nanny handed Gawnette a small pouch. Inside were revealed to be a substantial amount of barter tokens.

"Go in child," coaxed Nanny.

Elphaba stepped inside the gate and turned to Nanny and Gawnette.

"Don't stare so," scolded Gawnette, "this is adult business."

"Gawnette, Elphaba understands just fine." Nanny huffed as she walked away.

In the slight shade of a handful of stunted trees, Elphaba watched the other children, and began to learn. She learned the names of each of the children, although she would not say them aloud. She learned that here, food is something to be fought over constantly. Although, most importantly she started to learn how to speak up and be heard.

One of the boys (whose father Bee, was the Mayor of Wend Hardings in Munchkinland) decided to find a way to convince the strange green girl to join the others, and if not that, at least him. His name was Boq. He wasn't quite as short as the other Munchkin children, yet he wasn't as long-limbed as Elphaba. Boq was unusually tall for a Munchkin and short for a normal child, even at this tender age this was evident.

Boq walked over to where Elphaba sat breaking the twigs she had gathered into small pieces. She didn't look up at him or even acknowledge he was there.

"Hi Elphaba," Boq finally managed to say to the green girl

"Horrors," replied Elphaba, her face unchanging.

"What horrors Elphie?" asked Boq with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Horrors…."Whispered Elphie to Boq

"Can't you say anything else 'sides 'horrors'?" asked Boq indignantly

Elphaba understood and shook her head no. Then she went to the far corner of the garden to smash bugs. Boq was dumb-founded. He knew Elphaba could say more than just 'horrors', but she wouldn't say it. He went back to playing with the other children. Maybe she would join them tomorrow.

The green child watched as a line of ants moved along the ground. She held a stone she had found in her hand and smashed them every few inches. When the other children came near, she held up the rock to defend herself. Gawnette saw this and reprimanded Elphaba.

"No throwing rocks."

Elphaba simply nodded and went back to smashing the ants. She wore a simple smock. It was just a long rectangle with a hole cut for her head. It tied around the waist with a wide strip of cloth in the same color. It was a very dark purple, almost black in appearance. Her hair was black, straight, and already much longer than most other children her age.

The rest of the day she spent smashing bugs and breaking sticks. Nanny came for her in the mid-afternoon. In three days, they would return, but no. Not this time. They were leaving Wend Hardings the next day for Colwen Grounds, the home of the Eminent Thropp. Their family friend, Turtle Heart --who was a Quadling--, was to come with them.


	2. The Home of the Eminent Thropp

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Wicked tear_

**The home of the Eminent Thropp**

The minister's cottage in Nest Hardings now stood empty. A wagon was filled with things for them to take. A green girl of about three years sat in the wagon. Turtle Heart had decided to walk, so he would follow behind the wagon. Nanny sat in the middle of the wagon seat, her valise resting beside her. Melena pulled herself up onto the seat with an ease Nanny could only wish for. And Melena had only recently begun to show her pregnancy.

Frex readied the two sorry nags he had been given. Elphaba hadn't had time that cool, brisk morning to see the other children in the play group. Then again, it wasn't as if she really cared about something as little as that. She wore her rag dress; it had been washed and dried. Her long black hair fell over her pointed green features, helping her to hide herself. Among the contents of the wagon were a few books Frex had found in the cottage. They sat in a far corner, but Elphaba couldn't take her eyes off of them. She wanted to know what was in them. She wanted to learn how to read; to find an escape of her own.

"Let's get moving Frex, I don't want this to take any longer than it needs to be to get to my parent's estate," Melena said, her words surprisingly clear due to the lack of alcohol and pinlobble leaves she usually had consumed by this hour.

"Alright—"he hopped on to the seat and picked up the reins off the lip of the wagon, "—we'll be there in two—three days—at most."

* * *

The trip went without a hitch and the family arrived at Colwen Grounds within two days of their departure from Nest Hardings. Turtle Heart arrived the next day with a cloth-wrapped 

gift for little green Elphaba. She held the mirror he had given her and eyed the bundle. Her small green hands unwrapped the bundle and she exclaimed her second word:

"Wonderful!"

Turtle Heart had made an uncanny resemblance to Elphaba out of green and black glass. It was indeed a wonderful gift. Nanny tapped the green child's head and the glass figurine ended up in her hands. The features were perfect: the hair, black as night; the eyes, inquisitive and searching; the nose, sharp; the lips, thin and black; the chin, like a knife; and the skin, of course, green. Frex and Melena also looked over the figure and were very impressed by Turtle Heart's skill, but not so much the fact that this was now yet another reminder their first born child was green.

Elphaba was only three years old, but she made it very clear that she wanted to learn how to read. Although smashing small insects kept her occupied, she was losing her interest in killing innocent little bugs. Nanny had agreed to teach her because she needed a way to occupy herself as well. Also, she taught Elphaba how to sing.

"…way up high…" Frex heard as he passed by the Study one day. He found Elphaba there alone, singing a song she had come up with. "…in a lullaby…" He knew Melena never sang lullabies to her, and he doubted Nanny had either, aside from the nursery rhymes of course. The melody was soothing and Elphaba had a wonderful voice, even at such a young age.

He taught her songs about the Unnamed God to sing when he preached. Everyday Elphaba's dislike for the Unnamed God, Unionism and everything Unionist grew. Melena was now very close to having the second baby, and another letter from Frex's cousin informed them that the Clock of the Time Dragon was coming to Colwen Grounds. The green child's clever use of words grew as she sang and read anything she could find.

* * *

In her small room, she had a bed and a chest. That was it; nothing more. The bed had a creaky metal frame, an inadequately stuffed mattress, and a thin quilt. The chest contained her small amount of clothes, the mirror, and the glass figurine. She had grown out of the rag dress, so Nanny had made her a real dress. It was made of pieces of leftover black and brown fabric. She wore her black stockings and boots everywhere to avoid the pain of accidentally stepping in water.

Outside, there was a heavy downpour. Elphaba's eyes darted around as though she were looking for a place to hide from the rain. Even though the rain was outside and she was inside. Her long black hair was covered by a dark blue—almost black—kerchief. She liked the color blue; it was the only normal color besides black that didn't look horrible with her green skin. She held a book in her green arms. The title read: _**A Condensed History of OZ**_. Inside the book was divided into four parts, one for each province of OZ: _Munchkinland, Gillikin, the Glikkus, Quadling Country, and the Vinkus._ She devoured the new-found knowledge the book gave her. The book was old though, for it did not include the history of the yellow brick road or the finished product of the Emerald City.

"Nanny?" Elphaba questioned the shadowed figure that had appeared at her door.

"Turtle Heart not to be the Girl's Nanny," the figure said, revealing itself to be Turtle Heart.

"O, hello Turtle Heart," she said, adding, "Why are you here?"

"The Lady is in pain, the Girl must go to the Lady," Turtle Heart explained in his crippled syntax.

"Is it the baby?" Elphaba asked, marking her page and setting the book on her chest.

Turtle Heart nodded and motioned for her to follow him. The sound of a large wagon with a freestanding tower pulling to a stop outside Colwen Grounds was nearly inaudible through the deafening roar of the rain. In her mother and father's bedroom, Melena lay on the bed and Nanny spoke words of encouragement. The pain came and went in bursts. She chewed pinlobble leaves to alleviate the pain of the labor. It certainly felt easier than the first, but something didn't quite feel right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew this child was not like other children as well.

Frex opened the door after several sharp rapping to find that the Clock of the Time Dragon had indeed come to Colwen Grounds. Four hooded figures barged in and began searching the house for something, or someone. They found what, or who, they were looking for fairly quickly and dragged Turtle Heart out. Frex for once could not find something to reprimand these Tiktokists and Pfaithers with. So he watched in horror as they tied Turtle Heart to a pole and rolled the wagon over him. He and Melena had shared him, and now he made it his goal—no his purpose—to go to Quadling Country as a missionary.

* * *

The infant was female, light skinned, but in no way was she whole. She had no arms; only two small stumps that showed where the bone had suddenly decided to stop growing. Nanny washed the child and wrapped her in a small, clean, blanket. Elphaba had gotten her book from her room and now sat by the blazing fireplace sounding out the words. The sounds of the new baby interested her, so she left her book sitting open on the floor and walked over to where her mother and sister slept.

"Would you like to hold your sister?" Nanny asked, carefully picking up the newborn.

Elphaba nodded and Nanny steered her to the nearest chair.

"Now, put your arms like this," Nanny instructed Elphaba, "and be very careful with her head and neck."

The tiny girl had large brown eyes, pale skin, reddish-brown shading to the head that showed what color the eventual hair would be, and of course, a lack of arms. The green girl held the armless infant, and what her father described as her cruelty began to slowly melt away with each passing moment.

The girl was named Nessarose: a very pretty name, for a very pretty little girl. Elphaba watched her armless sister as she slept in her basket. The glass figurine Turtle Heart had made for her sat beside the book she was reading. Suddenly, fear, anger, desperation and sadness rushed through her. She picked up the figurine and threw it against the wall with all her might. It shattered, sending bits of green and black glass flying across the room. The largest piece hit the back of Elphaba's head and she felt something warm and moist running down her neck. She put one of her small green hands on the back of her neck and was horrified to find it was covered in blood. Nanny had heard the sound of breaking glass and walked as quickly as she could into the room. Nessarose was awake, but otherwise fine. Elphaba on the other hand was not fine. Nanny sat the green child down on the bed and retied her dark blue kerchief around her head as a sort of bandage.

Frex decided that they would leave for Quadling Country as soon as possible. Staying at Colwen Grounds would not be good for young Elphaba clearly, but the fact that it wasn't good for Melena and Frex either was less obvious. So the bits of glass were cleaned up, and the little wagon was packed with the Thropp family's possessions once again.

**A/N: Cookies for anyone who knows what little Elphie is singing. ;) Please review!**


	3. A Gillikinese Beauty and A Green Girl

**Disclaimer: **_I still don't own Wicked...but for now I'm fine with that_

**A/N: **_I decided to add a little Galinda, so tell me what you think. Sorry its so short, I need more inspiration, so review please. A kremlin-shaped giant cookie for whoever knows what song Fabala is singing this time._

**A Gillikinese Beauty and a Green Girl**

The Thropp family moved to Quadling Country and their lives fell into a steady balance. Well, if steady is becoming Unionist missionaries, so be it. Frex preached, Melena drank, Nanny gossiped, Elphaba sang, and Nessarose watched.

* * *

A young girl of about four years with peachy skin, bouncing golden-blonde curls, and eyes the color of sapphires sat on a white stool swinging her legs. Her pink sundress tied in the back with a large white bow. The room was lavishly decorated with pinks, yellows, and whites. At the center of the room was a bed that seemed far too large for one so young. Nearby, her Ama cleaned the chocolate milk that had somehow gotten in the porcelain doll's hair. The doll looked very much like the girl, except for the eyes, which were green.

"Galinda," the Ama said to the girl, "Would you like to go play outside?"

"Oo! I would love to Ama Clutch!" the girl squealed leaping off her perch.

Galinda pulled on her white sandals and placed her pink sun hat on her blonde head. The doll was set on the bed and the stool returned to its rightful place under the vanity. The pair exited the room. Galinda skipped down the hallway, with Ama Clutch—who was in her mid fifties—trailing close behind her little charge.

The Arduenna family was one of the most prestigious in Gillikin, and their gardens exceeded all expectations. Galinda was clearly a Gillikinese beauty. The girl's favorite place was in a far corner, shaded by a large oak tree. She hated getting dirty, so she picked flowers very carefully.

Ama Clutch filled a pan with soapy water and dipped a section from a metal clothes hanger that had been twisted into a circle. She waved it in front of Galinda, making bubbles 

appear and drift away. Galinda laughed and clapped her hands at the sight of the wonderful soapy orbs that floated around her blonde curls. She dared not pop them, or the magic would be gone for sure. But they had to pop at some point, so Ama Clutch just kept making more bubbles until the soapy water ran out.

"Pretty bubbles!" the tiny blonde exclaimed spinning in circles, arms outstretched, her face to the sun.

"Galinda dear, you'll make yourself dizzy."

"But I like spinning,"

"I know you do, but you wouldn't want to get your pretty dress dirty if you fell right?"

At the word 'dirty', she stopped mid spin and picked up her hat from where it had fallen. She smoothed her skirt and picked up the flowers she had picked: roses, petunias, tulips, violets, morning glories, and daisies, but not a single poppy. Poppies only grew in the Vinkus and some parts of Quadling Country, so the seeds were ridiculously priced.

* * *

In Quadling Country, Elphaba sang to herself as she picked the blue flowers that Nessa loved so much. Her small basket already had about fifteen blooms in it. She had begun to forget about the playgroup and Turtle Heart and Colwen Grounds, but she always remembered things.

"Prancing Pairs, Glass Embers,

Things I almost remember,

And a song, I once sang,

Once upon a Lurlinemas"

The last part was just a whisper so her father wouldn't hear. She found a lone poppy and tucked it into a pocket in her cloak, which was pulled over her face. The heat was stifling and she longed to remove the cloak. She wore her boots and a dress whose sleeves had been removed. It had been altered three times before, twice to let out the hem, once to widen the neck, and now to add the material from the sleeves to the bottom to make the dress longer.

"Someone holds me safe and warm,

Glass shows me the coming storm,

Figures running playfully across my memory…"

She continued singing and picking.

Nanny overheard her singing and wondered what the little green girl meant by 'the coming storm', but decided against asking Elphaba. It was clear to her that Elphaba had enjoyed the play group, or at least had observed them contently. She didn't know of the poppy, and would probably never find out. That is, unless Fabala decided to tell her.

"Far away, long ago

Glowing dim as an ember

Things my heart used to know,

Things I yearn to remember

And a song, I once sang,

Once upon a Lurlinemas,"

* * *

Galinda suddenly felt a longing to find a very unusual girl. A flash of green. A poppy. Were her only hints as to who one so unique might be. Elphaba felt a desire to find a very beautiful girl. Something pink spinning. Bubbles. The clues that flashed through her mind weren't enough it seemed. Something wanted these two very different girls to meet, but neither knew of the other, or the strange coincidence of the visions.

* * *

**_A/N- Review (please) and tell me what you think. Do you like little Galinda? The Song? _**

**_I need more ideas for the next chapters, perhaps something about Fiyero's childhood in the Vinkus...idk. So review and give me ideas, before I declare myself Writer's Block Syndrome positive. _**

(I don't need a lot of reviews to write the next chapter, just something that will get me thinking--and writing!--lol)


	4. An Engagement in the Vinkus

_**Disclaimer:** holds folder with all rights to Wicked, eyes darting around My precious...my..._Wait a clock tick...this isn't mine.

_**A/N:** I added Fiyero, Sarima, and the sisters. An update on how the Thropp family is holding out in Quadling Country. Please read and review!_

**An Engagement in the Vinkus**

During the time that the Thropp family lived in Quadling Country, and Galinda roamed her family's estate, a young prince was introduced to his bride-to-be.

* * *

At the castle Kiamo Ko in the Vinkus, a six year old boy with skin that could be best described as not-quite-light medium brown and dusty brownish blond hair stood eating his morning meal. He was dressed in his finest: tan pants, a white shirt, and shoes his mother had set aside. His deep blue-green eyes glanced out the window every so often in anticipation. The sound of a skark-pulled wagon stopping outside the castle intrigued him, so he put down the wood bowl.

In the hallway, his mother and father rushed by him. He pressed himself against the wall to keep from being flattened. At the large main door of the castle, he could hear his parents talking to a woman. A group of girls stood clustered behind the woman.

"Fiyero, come here," he heard his father say.

"Coming!" Fiyero shouted, running into the room before anyone could blink.

The girls giggled and he could see that they all had very similar characteristics. Perhaps they were sisters, maybe even cousins.

"Fiyero, this woman is the mother of these girls, but her health is failing and will die soon. We have decided that they will live here at Kiamo Ko, on the condition that you will be marrying the eldest girl: Sarima." His mother explained.

At the signal, one of the girls stepped forward from the group. Her skin was just a little lighter than Fiyero's and she had thick dark brown hair. Her eyes were downcast so he couldn't tell what color they were. Fiyero knew he was expected to marry a Vinkun girl, his parents just hadn't found a suitable arrangement prior to this family. He wondered what the sisters' names were, or if they even had names. It was customary to use counting or time-of-birth names in the Vinkus after the first born child.

"And what are the names of the other girls?" he heard his mother ask, bringing him out of his thinking.

"They are: Nilani, or Two; The Twins: Jeka and Jiva, or Three and Four; Amlita, or Five; and Irlonea, or Six." The woman said pointing to the girls as she said their names.

"Which names do you use more often?"

"The numbers…"

Fiyero and Sarima watched each other from behind their respective mothers. Sarima wore a cream blouse tucked into a reddish brown skirt with a brown belt and tan boots. Her brown hair slightly pulled away from her face with a polished wood comb. He could see her eyes now: icy blue, perhaps even a little shallow looking. She seemed very pleasant, as did her numbered sisters, but that was with the adults around.

The woman's breathing became labored and her face took on a shade of white-death. The girls turned to her apprehensively; any trace of the smiles that had so recently graced their faces wiped off in an instant. Before the girls could grasp the situation. Before his mother could lead her to the Solar. Before his father could move to catch her. Before Fiyero even asked her name. She collapsed. The back of her head made a sickening thud-crack on the stone floor of the front hall. They all just stood there in shock, paralyzed and unable to move from some unknown universal fear.

Fiyero looked at Sarima and watched as she tried to hold back the oncoming flood of tears. He slipped his hand into hers and gave a reassuring squeeze. She looked at him with a tiny hint of a smile. The sisters crowded around the two, catching them in a group hug, which soon became a group cry.

"Sarima,' Fiyero said when they were all sitting in the Solar, "What was your mother's name?"

"Nor." She said simply, wiping her tear-stained face with her sleeves.

"When we are older, people will want us to have children, so we shall name our first daughter Nor, after your mother."

The sisters and Sarima smiled weakly at the idea. They had loved their mother dearly and her sudden death left them feeling as though they had all been punched simultaneously in the gut. Fiyero remembered when the news of his older brothers' deaths had reached Kiamo Ko. Both had been run through with long, thin, metal stakes and left to suffer to their deaths.

* * *

In Quadling Country, Elphaba was now six years of age as well, and Nessarose was three. Summers in Quadling Country were nearly as unbearable for Elphaba as the never ending rains of the winter season. Nanny had made her a loose dress from a thin black cotton blanket that was very close to becoming a small animal's home decoration. Nessarose wore a pillowcase to which a collar had been added and Gillikinese lace detailing.

Frex became more abusive towards his green daughter as the years went by. He had caught her reading when she was supposed to be watching Nessarose on several occasions. The books were tucked away in the lid of Melena's trunk for 'safe-keeping'. She would refuse to sing 

for him; receiving lashes from reeds he would cut for what seemed to be this sole purpose. A particularly noticeable lash wound on her neck had Nanny concerned, but she did nothing.

"Elphaba!" Frex screeched, his face magenta with fury, "What are you doing with that book!?"

"I…I…"she was lost for words and stood clutching the book in her thin arms.

"Speak up!"

"Reading…" Elphaba said biting her lip hard enough for it to start bleeding.

"Reading?! You were reading?! You were told to watch your sister. And you were reading!"

"I'm sorry Papa! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise! I-"

"-Shut up!"

The reed made a whistling sound as it sailed through the air, before landing on her green flesh. She shut her eyes tight and willed herself not to cry out, or to even let a single tear run down her cheek. On the ground, she felt him kick her, but she was too numb to respond and just curled up tighter. He pulled her up by her thick braid and ordered her to look at him. She did, but he still threw her back on the ground as though she was a hideous demonic entity.

She cackled wildly to herself as he walked away, leaving her in the dirt. Apparently, she was enjoying her own one person inside joke. Arms at sides, legs together, head back, eyes closed. She breathed in and on her exhale, used her new found magic to heal the wounds, or at least make them not as noticeable unless one looked very carefully.

She was sure not all men were like her father, but she couldn't be sure because of her skin color. She was the freak, Nessa had a birth defect. She had been born green, so that made her skin affliction a birth defect. Still, popular belief always has more power behind it than scientific fact, but maybe that could be changed.

* * *

_**A/N:** Please review! What did you think of little Fiyero? Sarima? The sisters? Frex's treatment of Elphaba?_


	5. Sleeping and Writing

_**

* * *

**_

Disclaimer:

Wicked, one day, you shall be mine! But for now I'll just write my fanfics.

_**A/N:** I wrote this chapter on a complete impulse. Please read and review. _

_**Sleeping and Writing**_

"Ama—Ama Clutch? Where are you?" Galinda shouted, running around the large house late one night.

"Galinda dearest, stop making such a ruckus, you'll wake Popsicle." Momsie said softly.

"Momsie!" The small blonde leapt into her mother's arms, "I've missed you Momsie, and Popsicle…I missed you both so much!"

"We missed you too Galinda," she stroked her eight year old daughter's blonde curls, with a laugh she added "If we had known you would miss us this much, we would have gone on vacations more often."

"Momsie, did you meet someone who was green?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't. Why do you ask?"

"When I was out in my little garden a few times, I start to think about poppies and that somewhere, there is a green girl, who loves poppies so much."

"A green girl you say, who loves poppies. Hmm…have you been eating well?"

"Yes Momsie, I've been fine."

"What about sleep?"

"That's fine too."

"Well then, I do believe it's time for a certain girl I know to be off to bed."

"Good night Momsie."

"Fresh dreams, my sweet."

* * *

"Sarima…Sarima, are you awake?" Six shook her oldest sister.

Thumb in mouth, the hem of her hand-me-down nightgown dragged on the floor, even though deep grow pleats had been added to shorten the length considerably. Her brown hair covered by a cap, of which the sleeping Sarima wore the same. She had those same pale blue eyes, but hers didn't seem quite as shallow as the oldest sister's did.

"Is it morning yet?" Sarima yawned, before settling deeper into her covers.

"I can't sleep."

"And you have to come sleep with me—what about Two? You can go sleep with Two."

"I asked her, and Three and Four and Five, too."

"I guess it's alright," Sarima resigned, pulling back the sheets and blankets for her sister, "Come on. Get in."

Six crawled into the bed beside her sister and quickly fell asleep. Sarima smiled at how peaceful the toddler looked. A strand of hair that had worked its way loose of her cap draped itself across the bridge of her nose.

"Fresh dreams, my sweet," Sarima whispered before dropping off into Dreamland herself.

* * *

The Thropp family had finally found a place to settle, in Ovvels. They bought a tiny two room shack. The Hovels at Ovvels Elphaba and Nessarose named it.

"Mama?" an eight year old Elphaba asked, her blanket pulled tightly over her shoulders.

Nanny held a bundle that looked like how Nessa had been wrapped when she was born. She wanted to see her mother, not another baby she was at fault for ruining. Frex looked haggard and sat on a cushion against the side of the shack. Elphaba watched him from her hiding place between the wall and Melena's trunk. She knew he was going to beat her, she just knew it, but he did nothing of the sort.

"Elphaba, come here," Frex said gently, swallowing hard.

"Yes Papa." She walked slowly over to him and stood with her hand clasped to her arm.

"Fabala…" he trailed on making an effort to contain his tears, "Y-your mother….is…she's not…not with us anymore."

"But Papa, Mama was fine this morning!" Elphaba willed herself not to cry and squeezed her eyes tight to hold back the tears she felt coming.

"I know Fabala, but she has been taken to the Other World by the Unnamed God."

Even atheist Elphaba could smile at that proposition.

"Should we tell Nessa?" Elphaba asked, wiping her nose with a corner of her blanket.

Frex nodded and suddenly his body was wracked with sobs. His green daughter went running out of the shack in search of Nessarose where she had been left by Nanny.

"Faba! Nanny! Papa! Help! Anyone!" Nessa called, her armless body rolling down a slight hill.

Elphaba ran in the direction of her sister's shouts. The slope was well hidden and Elphaba was sent splaying when she tripped over a rock. Nessarose could be seen laying face down a little bit farther down. The green girl moved to her sister quickly and dragged the five year old by the crisscrossed straps that went over her dress.

"Are you alright Nessie?" Elphaba asked, propping her sister up.

"I'm fine, but that wind was really strong," Nessarose said, she added, "I don't like wind. Not one bit."

"Well, I don't like water. It gives me burns or something," Elphaba lifted her sister into a standing position with the help of the straps and supported her so they could walk back to the shack.

Melena's body was covered with a sheet and Frex stood saying the service of the dead under his breath. Elphaba sat Nessa down against the wall. She placed pillows to keep her sister upright. The bundle cried softly from the basket it had been placed in. Nanny held Melena's best dress, a white velvet gown with gold edging to the square neck and wide sleeves.

"Faba? What's wrong?" Nessa asked, clearly scared and confused.

Frex walked over to his favorite daughter and picked her up. He slipped his arm through the back of the straps to keep better hold of his armless daughter. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Nessa, pet," Frex said, tears welling in his eyes once more, "Your mother has moved on to the Other World."

"Is it the will of the Unnamed God?" Nessarose asked, moving her head to wipe her face on Frex's tunic.

"Yes, Nessa pet. It is the will of the Unnamed God."

"Papa, may I look in the basket?" Elphaba asked, tapping her father as close as she could reach to his shoulder.

"Of course."

The basket indeed contained an infant. Even wrapped in linens, the baby was clearly male, white, and had all his proper parts and pieces. Elphaba rocked the basket slightly and the little boy yawned. His eyes were brown, just as his sister's, but lighter, more like the color of Frex's eyes. She smiled and lifted him out of the basket gently, holding him the same way she had held Nessa when she was so little.

"Elphaba, take Nessa and the baby to the other room," Nanny said, Melena's funeral outfit arranged on the bed.

"Yes Nanny,"

She placed the baby back in the basket and retrieved Nessa from Frex. She found it very difficult to support Nessa and hold the basket at the same time, but she didn't want to take two trips. She ended up behind Nessarose, holding the basket in front of them both, her arms around her armless sister. The trio made their way to the other room awkwardly.

Elphaba set the basket down between her and Nessa's bedrolls. She simply dropped Nessa on her own bedroll. She pulled her small dark blue journal, green quill pen, and a jar of ink from the folds of her blanket and wrote simply:

_Melena Thropp (Mama), age 31, died giving birth to a son, year 803._

The entry before it read:

_Turtle Heart, age unknown, crushed to death by the Clock of the Time Dragon, year 798._

This journal was Elphaba's record of all major changes in her life. True, she hadn't filled it in at the exact date of Turtle Heart's murder, but she remembered when Nanny had given her the little book, so it had been the first entry she made. She had skipped to the middle of the page with her first entry, so above it she added two more:

_Elphaba Drazi Thropp born on KumbraDay, the 12__th__ of High Summer, year 795_

_Nessarose Arethett Thropp born on UnnaDay, the 35__th__ of Deep Winter, year 798_

In Oz, there were five days to a week, forty days to a month, and ten months to a year. The days of the week went: OzDay, LurliDay, KumbraDay, DraDay, and UnnaDay. The months were Little Spring, High Spring, Spring Planting, Mid Summer, Summer Growth, High Summer, Autumn Harvest, Late Autumn, Little Winter, and Deep Winter. So the days were easy to predict where they would fall in each month.

After the entry about Melena's death she started to write, but stopped herself. She didn't know the name of her brother yet, so she couldn't add him to her book just yet.

"Nanny, Papa, may I come in?" Elphaba said, standing in the doorway to the larger room.

"I suppose," Nanny replied without looking up, arranging Melena's arms.

"Papa, does the little boy have a name?"

"Shell. Shell Malen Thropp," Frex said, a bit of pride creeping into the edge of his words.

"Thank you," Elphaba dashed back into the other room and wrote:

_Shell Malen Thropp born on DraDay, the 28__th__ of High Spring, year 803_

She closed the journal and returned it, along with the quill and ink, to the blanket.

* * *

_**A/N:** What do you think of Galinda and her Momsie? Six and Sarima? The Thropp family's reactions to Melena's death? The Ozian Calendar? Elphie, Nessa, and Shell's middle _

_names? Frex's change of heart? Elphaba's journal? Please review! _

_Also, a giant plate of Oz Cookies for whoever can figure out the middle names and days of the week._


	6. Reap What You've Sewn

_**Disclaimer: **I only own the very basics of this plotline, credit for all characters and some details used given to Gregory Maguire_

_**A/N-** I haven't updated in a while, and found sudden inspiration when I was sewing of all things. Please R&R!_

_**Reap What You've Sewn**_

Elphaba (now ten) sat, jackknifed, staring at the urn of her mother's ashes. Quadling Country was swamp, so a burial was impractical. Nanny had saved the beautiful white dress to be used for the girls' weddings, if they ever had one that is. Nessarose sat tied to one of the shack's support poles that went through the middle of the room. In front of her was a book on Unionism. Shell toddled around, whacking a wooden spoon at his sisters when he came near them.

Frex, after telling of Turtle Heart's death, had become more protective of his children and begun to revert back into his hermit state. He had asked Nanny to stay for their sake, not his. For his sake had been lost the day that Time Dragon Clock turned his flock to Pfaithers and Tiktokists; the day Elphaba was born. He only saw himself in Shell, but he saw Melena in all three. He had no suspicions that his daughters were fathered by men other than him, and the thought never crossed his mind. For it was very hard to find similar characteristics in a girl who was green, or a girl who lacked arms.

All worn out clothes were placed in the trunk, to be used to make new clothes at a later point. Elphaba had taken up sewing quite well and so she patched anything that Nanny could not. The day was hot and sticky so Elphaba wore a thin linen shift, her hair pulled into a tight braid. She tired of staring at the ornate clay and glass container.

From the trunk she removed various scraps of fabric, including a particularly large piece of green material that looked to be nearly the same color as her. With a piece of charcoal, she carefully drew the outline of a simple doll near one end of the green cloth. She then folded it so that two identical pieces could be cut at once. They had no scissors, so she very carefully cut with a knife. With some green thread she found, she stitched the two pieces together wrongside out. Before she finished she turned the doll inside out. When she got to the head, she took some of the rice from one of the burlap sacks and gently filled the green rag doll.

She found some black yarn, some of which she cut off and inserted in the head before she finished sewing (now with black yarn). The rest of the yarn she sewed onto the back of the head and arranged in a way to make it very convincing. Two black buttons for the eyes and a bit more green thread for the nose, black for the mouth and eyebrows.

Elphaba squinted in the now dim light. She didn't notice Shell and Nessie being carried off to bed. Her stomach grumbled, but she ignored it, determined to finish her doll.

"It's time to sleep Elphaba; you can work on your doll tomorrow." Nanny said, she was in her own nightgown and about to go to sleep in her cot.

"Alright,' Elphaba replied, standing and putting all the things she had used to make the doll into a pile, which she then scooped up and dumped into the chest once again. She then placed the unclothed doll on top of everything and shut the lid.

That night as she slept she smiled in her sleep; she hadn't smiled in her sleep for a very long time. In fact, she had only smiled twice before in her sleep: when Turtle Heart gave her the mirror, and later when he gave her the glass figurine.

* * *

Galinda sat playing quietly with her favorite doll. The vision of the poppy-loving green girl had faded from her ten year old memory long ago. Her ruffled pink dress spilled out around her. She resembled a pink cupcake with far too much frosting, her blonde hair a bit of yellow frosting.

Ama Clutch sat in her rocking chair repairing a hole in one of Galinda's pink pillowcases. Down. Pull. Up. Pull. In. Out. Loop. In. Out. Loop. The needle guided the pink thread as the tear was closed by small, straight, stitches. She folded the pillowcase and walked over to the wardrobe. Inside were the many skirts and blouses and dresses of Galinda Upland, along with a large amount of shoes. The very top shelf held all extra bed coverings, and so the patched pillowcase was placed there.

* * *

Sarima loved the Solar more than any other room in Kiamo Ko. Some of Fiyero's clothes needed to be patched and she had taken it upon herself to do so. She was currently working on fixing a large rip in the knee of one of his pants. Elsewhere in the castle, the numbered sisters busied themselves with different tasks. Fiyero was simply becoming quite a lazy bum since his parents had left to settle disputes with the Scrow and Yunamata.

Fiyero and Sarima were now both ten years of age. The arranged marriage had long since passed and they viewed each other more as friends than anything else. The Gillikinese governess who had been hired to teach Sarima and her sisters proper etiquette was taking a light nap in the guest room. To her dismay, she was shaken from her sleep by Five and Six.

"Miss Cerlissa," Six said urgently, "We're hungry and we can't find anything to eat."

"Alright then," Miss Cerlissa got out of her bed, she wore her white under dress. She pulled on a red skirt with colored circles embroidered on it to resemble flowers. A black vest-like bodice with red and yellow detailing was then securely tied over the long sleeved white under dress. Her light blonde, almost white, hair was pulled into two braids high at the back of her head and then pinned to her head so that one was in a loop on top of her head and the other off to the side.

The girls on the other hand wore dresses of the same pattern made of calico patterned with small flowers. Five's was brown and orange, Six's blue and yellow. Both girls wore their hair pulled back with ribbons their parents had brought back for them after one of their excursions.

Once in the kitchen Cerlissa began to look for the food. She let out a shriek when she opened one of the cabinets. Four sat nibbling away at a loaf of sweet bread. Smiling sheepishly, she crawled out of her hiding place and set the bread on the chopping block. When the governess's back was turned, Five and Six tore pieces off the loaf and shoved them into their mouths.

"Girls, what do you have in your mouths?" Cerlissa asked, suspicious of the tight lips

and cheeks that resembled those of a squirrel.

"Nufin'" Five lied, spewing saliva soaked bits of bread.

"That is…disgusting…"Miss Cerlissa replied shaking with revulsion. She turned on her heel and returned to the comfort and privacy of her room as quickly as possible.

* * *

In Ovvels, Elphaba held her green doll, now clad in a dark purple dress, black cape, black stockings, black shift, and brown boots. Nessa had admired the doll, but shown no real interest in it for the sole reason that toys were no fun if one could only sit and look at it. Shell, having tired of the wooden spoon, was now working on snatching Elphaba's newly made doll. After his fifth failed attempt, he resigned to Nanny's glasses, which sat on a small shelf above Nanny's cot that he could reach by pushing over one of the smaller crates. Once he had successfully stolen the spectacles, he hid under a sheet in the other room admiring his prize.

_**A/N-** So, what did you think? Of Elphaba's doll? Galinda and Ama Clutch? The Sisters? Sarima? The Governess? Shell's mischieviousness? Anything else? Please Review!_


	7. Hopes, Lessons, and Truths

_**Disclaimer:** Wicked isn't mine, but you all knew that anyway. So on with the fanfic!_

_**A/N- **Ok. This is pretty much three song fics, and because apparently no one knows them, I'll tell you what they are. Please R&R!_

_Elphaba's song is Journey to the Past from Anastasia_

_Galinda(well, more Momsie and Ama Clutc)'s song is Femininity from Summer Magic(an old Disney movie)_

_The governess Cerlissa's song is Little Girls from Annie_

* * *

Elphaba thought as she walked to the bridge town of Bengda. Frex had taken her with him to Qhoyre, leaving Nanny to care for Nessa and Shell. A tune found its way to her thin black twelve year old lips. She resolved that she had to keep going, even if it meant being in a town above the Waterslip river. By the Unnamed God she hated Frex for that. Of all the places he had to send her on an errand, it had to be some ridiculous little village on a bridge.

_Heart don't fail me now  
Courage don't desert me  
Don't turn back now that we're here_

People always say  
Life is full of choices  
No one ever mentions fear  
Or how the world can seem so vast  
On a journey...to the past

She thought of her mother and everything Frex had said about an afterlife. It seemed ridiculous to her, a long standing atheist despite her young age. Still, the hope of seeing Melena again warmed her a bit as she trudged on. Elphaba pulled the long cloak tighter around her shoulders and doubled her pace, the song returned.

_  
Somewhere down this road  
I know someone's waiting  
Years of dreams just can't be wrong  
Arms will open wide  
_

_I'll be safe and wanted  
Finally home where I belong  
Well, starting now I'm learning fast  
On this journey...to the past  
_

The green twelve year old realized before Melena died, her father had been kind to her and given her toys. Now she was simply a tool for conversions, and someone he could have work for him. Perhaps she thought, perhaps she was not Frex's, only Melena's. If such a thought were true, she could find the other part of her family, her real family. Even as a toddler she had been sharp-witted, and remembered Turtle Heart and Melena's 'naps' every afternoon as being quite the opposite. Maybe, just maybe, Melena was somewhere...watching? No, she couldn't be, but another line of the song revealed itself.

_  
Home, love, family  
There was once a time I must have had them too  
Home, love, family  
I will never be complete until I find you_

Her steps along the persistently muddy path were quick but deliberate. She still thought about the prospect of Frex maybe not being her father, but knew he was far more likely to beat her to death than admit the sad truth that Melena had been an adulterer. _  
One step at a time  
One hope, then another_

_Who know where this road may go_

Back to who I was  
On to find my future  
Things my heart still needs to know

Home wasn't anywhere in Quadling country, she had figured that out within weeks of their arrival nine years ago. The memories she had of Munchkinland, however faint they had become, told her that wasn't home either. From what she had heard about the blue bloods(more commonly called China People) and seemingly infinite wealth of the Gillikinese, Gillikin didn't seem very home-y at all. Then there was the Glikkus, where the Emerald mines were and there was a constant struggle between Gillikin and Munchkinland over who controlled the area. It was still too close to those states. So she was left with either the Emerald City or The Vinkus. She decided to see where her 'home' would end up. The song was hers and she used it to voice her hopes.

_  
Yes, let this be a sign  
Let this road be mine  
Let it lead me to my past  
And bring me home...  
At last!!_

* * *

Around this same time, a twelve year old Galinda was being taught by Ama Clutch and Momsie how to be feminine. They were doing so in song, much to the small blonde's delight. Momsie began, leading her around the parlor with a book on her head for good posture. Ama Clutch smacked her behind with a cane to remind her to keep her bottom tucked in.

_You must walk feminine  
Talk feminine  
Smile and beguile feminine  
Utilize your femininity  
That's what every girl should know, if she wants to catch a beau_

_  
_They danced with her and gave her advice on how to impress a man, which she was far from doing so. She was only twelve and Popsicle would have no boys running around the estate until she was at least eighteen. Even by then, it was hoped she would be at Shiz, despite the moments she had of less than impressive intelligence.

_  
Dance feminine  
Glance feminine  
Act shy and sigh feminine  
Compliment his masculinity  
That's what every girl should know, if she wants to catch a beau__If he should choose to tell a joke  
_

Let him do the talking  
Med adore good listeners  
Laugh, but not too loudly (Haha)

Galinda followed as they led her around the decorated room, absorbing everything they told her and quickly complying. Her blonde curls were pulled back at the sides with matching pink clips. The weather was on the colder side, so her rose pink dress had long sleeves, but its full skirt went to just below her knees. She spun in circles of girlish delight, but was stopped abruptly by a tap on her shoulder by the cane Ama Clutch held. Her dress wrapped itself tightly around her legs. She pulled at it stealthily (or so she thought) and got a disappointed look from Momsie. They carried on with their teachings.

_Be radiant, but delicate  
Memorize the rules of etiquette  
Be demure, sweet and pure  
Hide the real you_

You must look feminine  
Dress feminine  
You're at your best feminine  
Emphasize your femininity  
That's what every girl should know  
Femininity, femininity  
That's the way to catch a beau

* * *

At Kiamo Ko, the governess had absolutely had it. How could there be so many little girls underfoot, and a boy as well, who terrorized her every waking—and sometimes sleeping—hour be contained in a tribal stronghold? After coming into her room to find a broken porcelain doll scattered across the floor of her room and a mouse in the bedclothes she couldn't take it. Before Cerlissa was a governess she had made some money making up tunes on the spot. The urge to make up a scornful tune against little girls forced its way from her red painted lips.

_Little girls  
Little girls  
Everywhere I turn I can see them  
Little girls  
Little girls__  
Some women are dripping with emeralds  
Some women are dripping with pearls  
Lucky me! Lucky me!  
Look at what I'm dripping with__With all the nuts and the squirrels  
There I'll stay  
Until the prohibition of  
Little girls._

Night and day  
I eat, sleep and breathe them  
I'm an ordinary woman  
With feelings  
I'd like a man to nibble on my ear  
But I'll admit no man has bit  
So how come I'm the mother of the year?

Little cheeks  
Little teeth  
Everything around me is little  
If I wring  
Little necks  
Surely I will get an acquittal  


Little girls  
How I hate  
Little shoes  
Little socks  
And each little bloomer  
I'd have cracked  
Years ago  
If it weren't for my  
Sense of humor

Some day  
I'll step on their freckles  
Some night  
I'll straighten their curls  
Send a flood  
Send the flu  
Anything that You can do  
To little girls

Some day I'll land in the nut house

_

* * *

**A/N- **So, watcha think. This idea came to me as I was listening to the random music I have, which includes musicals I've been in and old Disney movies, and no, the first song is not from a Disney movie. Please review!_


End file.
